Here is a list of 10 books that have touched my life. This list is not exhaustive, and there are plenty more, but these really stand out in my mind. Some of these books have inspired me to write, and some have made me
fall in love with the English language and almost all have made me
worship the written word.
In the chronological order in which I read them -
1. 365 and more fairy tales :
This is a collection of 365+ fairy tales (by the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Andersen and other folklore) with colorful illustrations. My dad gave this to me for my 12th birthday. If there was a fire in the house, this is the one thing from my childhood that I would run in and save. I read it everyday (not kidding), till I finished school. Even now, if I see it while re-arranging the books cabinet, I read it again. As a child, this book taught me about happily ever afters, and made me believe that love does conquer all; that a tear drop from a true heart can reverse death, and that true beauty comes from within.
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:
We read this as part of the school syllabus in the 9th grade. Jane Austen has a way of looking into the very depths of the human psyche, and show us how beautiful or ugly it can be. No matter how evil a character may seem, she never lets us judge them easily, because she knows that there are two sides to every coin. She taught me that nobody is perfect, and that we should not always weigh others by their actions. The emotions that surge through you as you read her books, can only be described as 'beautiful'.
Image source: http://www.publicbookshelf.com/
3. A Journey to the center of the Earth by Jules Verne:
This was a part of a set of 25 children's classics my dad brought home one day. It was the first sci-fi book I've ever read, and it changed my life. I remember going through encyclopedias to verify the geography and the natural phenomenon Verne wrote about. Verifying them, only made me believe more and more in the actual possibility of such a journey. I still do believe in it. This book introduced me to science and made me fall in love with the beauty of the unknown.
Image source: http://cb.pbsstatic.com/
4. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling:
Every child must, must delve into the magical world that Rowling has conjured up. I remember reading "The Order of Phoenix" all night, and not knowing when night became day. She brought back the magic in the written word, made more kids want to read, and I know there was a little bit of bad press about her alleged association with the 'Dark Forces' and all that, but what she did to kids in our time was unmistakable. She opened the flood gates and unleashed the imaginative force of the human mind. And that, is my favorite part of the human experience - the power of imagination.
image source: http://www.thedigitalshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/harrypotterEbks1.jpg
5. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien:
By the time I read LOTR, I was in my late teens, and I was able to truly appreciate the nuances of language in this epic series. Epic. And there is a reason why. Yes, there's magic and elves and an evil lord who seeks to cover the world in darkness, and the fact that the author devised a new language for this book (I love it when they do that!). But that is not what sets this book apart from others of its kind. Tolkien writes about human values that are more magical than magic itself. He makes us weep for the folly of men, for their treacherous hearts, for their fears and doubts, and at the same time, celebrates friendship, bravery, hope, love and all that is good and green on this earth. His words transport us to Middle Earth, and make us feel what the characters are going through. Reading his books, isn't just passing time. It is an experience and a journey.
image source: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130619012726/lotr/images/1/11/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_First_Copies.jpg
6. The Almighty by Irving Wallace:
This was probably the first 'grown up' book that I read. The book cover featured a half-naked woman in a very provocative pose, and I remember detaching the book cover, just so I can read this book without being judged. The book delves into the newspaper industry, and how one man's decision to cut to the chase by making news instead of reporting it, changes the lives of two young reporters in his employ, not to mention the whole world. This book shows how far a man will go, to secure his legacy and prove to his deceased father that he was a better man than he ever was.
image source: http://www.bookloveroxford.co.uk/sites/default/files/IMG_0012_21.jpg
7. The Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer:
No, I am not ashamed to include this in this list. Stephenie's writing may not have been as brilliant as Tolkien or Rowling, but it was scintillating in the way she captured the emotions of one character (Bella Swann) through just her words. It is a true gift, to give shape and form to the plethora of human emotions through the written word. And she nailed it! Stephenie also took it to another level when in the last two books, she gave us an insight into what some of the other characters felt, by giving them their own chapters, to let them tell us what they are going through, in parallel with the main character.
Did she make me like Vampires more than I already did? Yes.
Did I fall in love with Edward Cullen? Abso-fuckin-lutely!
Did I read it over and over and over again? Yes.
Did I love the movies? NO! The movies killed the franchise. Robert Pattinson looked completely constipated throughout the movie and I could kill Kristen Stewart for ruining the idea of Bella for everyone.
image source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUADukYKc2xyhgLEkt47WzikMCdPwZ0Q-sNMC90c0SftGzY3GU4yH7exXyRUuNxD2QvnFKFe7RbD8rZZ7U9NEbBl5eMRvgWRM_-JIPP4QDHJGI5ocgwBiZWWpKVU99susB50MCePUtMPc/s1600/TwilightSaga.jpg
8. The Immortals of Meluha (series) by Amish Tripathi:
I picked up this book for my Dad from a book fair at the office, just because I loved the cover and the synopsis at the back was quite fascinating. This book made me rethink the concept of religion all over the world. This is the version I want to teach my kids some day. Because it make absolute sense! Gone are the days when we blindly believed whatever our elders taught us. I don't want to go too much into it, and start up a whole other topic of discussion, but suffice it to say, this book, truly changed my world.
image source: http://www.reviewsdestination.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/shiva-trilogy.jpg
9. Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly:
Although this was the first Matthew Reilly I read, I have come to love all his books. This book in particular united the seven ancient wonders, gave them a single purpose, combined modern day technology with mythology and went on to do what every book does: take a shot at the innate goodness in all human beings. As a child I loved mythology, especially Egyptology. Watching 'The Mummy' changed my life, and if there is a top 10 movies list, it would make it to the top. This book piqued that child in me, and renewed my faith in the unknown, because I firmly believe that as a civilization, we cannot truly progress without knowing where we've come from.
image source: http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1290042207l/1282342.jpg
10. A song of Ice and Fire (series) by George RR Martin:
Reading this book, was the first time I truly appreciated the intricacies of politics. The fact that the book is set in a world that seems to be in a universe parallel to ours makes it fascinating. The first three books had me spell-bound. But honestly, I lost interest around the fourth, probably because most of the characters I had been rooting for were all dead. Which, makes me wonder if Tolkien stopped with the third book for a reason. George Martin is pushing it a little and walking into dangerous ground. But that being said, this book truly has its conquering moments. The birth of the dragons, that time when dragon song is heard again in the world, rekindling all magic, is truly epic. So are some of the characters, who were introduced to us as weak, nobodys, but who grew stronger and more powerful in their own right. This book is a true testament to how time can change the tides without warning, throw down the mighty, and raise up those originally destined for nothing to sheer greatness.
image source: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7jdg4tA4p1ro3t9c.jpg
In the chronological order in which I read them -
1. 365 and more fairy tales :
This is a collection of 365+ fairy tales (by the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Andersen and other folklore) with colorful illustrations. My dad gave this to me for my 12th birthday. If there was a fire in the house, this is the one thing from my childhood that I would run in and save. I read it everyday (not kidding), till I finished school. Even now, if I see it while re-arranging the books cabinet, I read it again. As a child, this book taught me about happily ever afters, and made me believe that love does conquer all; that a tear drop from a true heart can reverse death, and that true beauty comes from within.
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:
We read this as part of the school syllabus in the 9th grade. Jane Austen has a way of looking into the very depths of the human psyche, and show us how beautiful or ugly it can be. No matter how evil a character may seem, she never lets us judge them easily, because she knows that there are two sides to every coin. She taught me that nobody is perfect, and that we should not always weigh others by their actions. The emotions that surge through you as you read her books, can only be described as 'beautiful'.
Image source: http://www.publicbookshelf.com/
3. A Journey to the center of the Earth by Jules Verne:
Image source: http://cb.pbsstatic.com/
4. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling:
image source: http://www.thedigitalshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/harrypotterEbks1.jpg
5. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien:
image source: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130619012726/lotr/images/1/11/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_First_Copies.jpg
6. The Almighty by Irving Wallace:
This was probably the first 'grown up' book that I read. The book cover featured a half-naked woman in a very provocative pose, and I remember detaching the book cover, just so I can read this book without being judged. The book delves into the newspaper industry, and how one man's decision to cut to the chase by making news instead of reporting it, changes the lives of two young reporters in his employ, not to mention the whole world. This book shows how far a man will go, to secure his legacy and prove to his deceased father that he was a better man than he ever was.
image source: http://www.bookloveroxford.co.uk/sites/default/files/IMG_0012_21.jpg
7. The Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer:
Did she make me like Vampires more than I already did? Yes.
Did I fall in love with Edward Cullen? Abso-fuckin-lutely!
Did I read it over and over and over again? Yes.
Did I love the movies? NO! The movies killed the franchise. Robert Pattinson looked completely constipated throughout the movie and I could kill Kristen Stewart for ruining the idea of Bella for everyone.
image source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUADukYKc2xyhgLEkt47WzikMCdPwZ0Q-sNMC90c0SftGzY3GU4yH7exXyRUuNxD2QvnFKFe7RbD8rZZ7U9NEbBl5eMRvgWRM_-JIPP4QDHJGI5ocgwBiZWWpKVU99susB50MCePUtMPc/s1600/TwilightSaga.jpg
8. The Immortals of Meluha (series) by Amish Tripathi:
image source: http://www.reviewsdestination.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/shiva-trilogy.jpg
9. Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly:
image source: http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1290042207l/1282342.jpg
10. A song of Ice and Fire (series) by George RR Martin:
image source: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7jdg4tA4p1ro3t9c.jpg
